Avalanche & NHL

Paul Stastny's toughness on display with Avalanche at Pepsi Center

Avalanche center Paul Stastny, center, tries to redirect a shot past Oilers goaltender Davan Dubnyk during the first period Thursday night at the Pepsi Center. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)

Sam Gagner's concern about Paul Stastny wasn't enough.

Gagner, taking a first-period faceoff Thursday night for the Edmonton Oilers, got tied up with Stastny and cross-checked the veteran Avalanche center in the face, sending Stastny to the ice.

Gagner was originally whistled for a two-minute minor, and was apologetic to Stastny, but because of the second referee, and possibly the linesman who officiated the faceoff — and perhaps the massive Pepsi Center big screen that quickly showed the replay before play resumed — Gagner was eventually escorted off the ice for a high-sticking major and game misconduct.

The Avs, trailing 1-0 at the time, went on a five-minute power play that extended into the second period, and doubled to a two-man advantage when the Oilers' Taylor Hall was given a unsportsmanlike minor at the first-period buzzer.

Stastny, meanwhile, didn't miss a shift and assisted on Tyson Barrie's 5-on-3 power-play goal 1:07 into the second period.

Stastny already was missing several front teeth and was surprisingly not bloodied by Gagner's stick.

No. 44 still sidelined. Defenseman Ryan Wilson missed his 20th consecutive game, still unable to play after suffering a back injury Nov. 6 against Nashville. Patrick Roy had hoped Wilson, 26, would return last week, but the coach wants him to continue to work on conditioning. Roy said he might play the rugged defender Saturday at Los Angeles. The Avs also play at San Jose on Monday.

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